Let’s face it: there’s no beating around the bush about the one glaring truth in life—you’re going to get older. With accepting this, comes a myriad of other potential worries and subsequent wisdoms. Time tends to pass quickly through the workday or even on weekends…and by the end of the day, you may be left wondering if you even have enough time for yourself?
As you age, you may find yourself particularly noticing changes and shifts in your weight. Even though individual circumstances such as hormones and fat burning factors such as metabolism differ from person to person, there are still many extremely useful techniques and effective weight loss strategies a woman can use through midlife moments (such as menopause) to lose fat and retain muscle. One of the major aspects of leading a positive and healthy midlife journey is being pertinent in keeping a keen eye over factors such as eating habits, practical exercise routines and other supplemental tools to aid you in your midlife weight loss journey.
Below, we dive deep and explore some of the most popular weight management methods on the market. We sit down with Dr. Collier to discuss the pros and cons of many top trending branded diets, more traditionally widespread diet plans, and other supplemental regimens to help you lose fat and promote healthier nutrition for over 40!
More Fat Burning-Related Content from Lipodrops:
► FAT BURNING AFTER 40: STRATEGIES TO BOOST METABOLISM AND STAY FIT IN YOUR PRIME
► WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING AND HOW TO MAKE IT WORK
► HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT NATURALLY WITH LIPODROPS MAXIMUM FORMULA
► NEW NIGHTTIME FAT BURNER COMPATIBLE WITH DIABETES
*Subscribe to the YouTube Channel for Diabetes-Related Playlist ASK DR MJ – YOUTUBE CHANNEL
*Connect with dr. Collier on Facebook ASK DR MJ – FACEBOOK PAGE
*Over 35,000 Followers on Instagram, join us: ASK DR MJ – INSTAGRAM PROFILE
The Most Popular Branded / Trend Diets Broken Down
The GOLO diet is less of a lifestyle plan and more of an additive taken in the form of a supplement. The plan is loosely flexible regarding ingredients and food choices, and rather acts as a metabolism booster by reducing insulin resistance. This increases your blood sugar and can prevent many associated health conditions tied to midlife weight gain. It’s worth noting that while the company mentions that its team consists of licensed doctors and research professionals, the only individuals listed on the site are the CEO and President—both of whose backgrounds lie in sales and marketing, and not as dietitians or nutritionists. Interestingly, the site doesn’t actually mention any healthcare personnel.
GOLO programs range from 30, to 60 to 90 days and partake in the specific and measured use of its GOLO supplement, Release. After purchasing Release, you gain access to the Metabolic Plan, which utilizes a boost in metabolism to lower cardiovascular disease and help you to lose fat. GOLO mentions that in their plan, you “stop dieting.” By taking Release, you regulate insulin without needing to restrict carbolic intake or workout significantly more (15 minutes a day is advised). GOLO mentions that its supplement is safe and effective as a slow metabolism solution. However, it’s important to note that both pilot and published studies (containing relatively small subject pools) were funded and sponsored by the GOLO parent company. GOLO diets are FDA approved, however, and promote healthy weight loss by improving your energy, reducing hunger and managing stress and anxiety.
GOLO participants must adhere to the booklets containing the Metabolic Plan, which recommends you to consume between 1,300-1,800 calories a day across 3 meals and taking a Release capsule after each meal. While any food restrictions are the same for everyone, the number of calories you should eat is largely dependent on your age, current weight, age and activity level. GOLO does advise that one should lean particularly towards whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, grains, nuts, legumes and seafood. Please note that before starting this or any diet plan, its crucial to check with your doctor, especially if you have preexisting health conditions. If you are diabetic, have kidney issues or are pregnant, for example, GOLO may not be right for you.
Ah, yes—the queen of diets! WeightWatchers started off as Jean Nidetch’s weekly weight loss group for her and her friends and transformed into one of the biggest crazes of the modern age. Millions of women worldwide tried and continue to use WeightWatchers in their lifestyles as a primary weight management tool. Using a flexible, points-based system versus counting calories, many support groups/online community forums and containing extensive research backing its efficacy, this global phenomenon swept the health community many times over!
WeightWatchers is the weight loss program that strives for counting points over calories to support midlife weight loss and promote healthier eating. Initially during its inception, the brand used an exchange system similar to diabetes, where foods were tallied based on servings. It has since revamped itself a few times over to the current individualized points-based system that assigns values to foods and drinks based on fiber, fat, and caloric content alongside factors such as weight, sleep, reproductive status, stress and exercise. Points are assigned based on nutritional value, so nutrient dense foods such as fish or vegetables have less points than more processed foods such as soda or chips. ZeroPoint foods also exist, which are foods and drinks that don’t count towards your Points budget. 200 of these foods exist, such as eggs, yogurt and fruits.
After taking the initial personal assessment, you are prompted to choose one of two WeightWatchers membership tiers: Core or Premium. The basic plan, Core, offers access to the WeightWatchers app alongside a host of tools such as weight loss and wellness tracking tools, workouts, plans, and meditations. This plan is $23 a month for a 1-month membership, and scales up to 10-month memberships for $10 a month. The Premium plan offers everything the Core plan does, adding on virtual/in-person sessions with WeightWatchers coaches and groups. This plan begins at $45 for a month, or $25 a month for a 10-month plan.
WeightWatchers is one of the more peculiar diets in that it doesn’t necessary forbid consumption of any foods; rather, it focuses on consuming whole, unprocessed foods and limiting high-calorie, processed ones. One huge benefit of this process is that members can theoretically eat whatever they want, as long as they remind under their daily Points budget. WeightWatchers provides women with individualized programs based on your unique factors, and offers more sustainability than the majority of other diet plans through its flexibility and accessibility. Much of its short- and long-term effectiveness has been backed by numerous studies, as is in one study with 152 people struggling with obesity. In this PubMed Central research instance, experts found that those participants on WeightWatchers lost an average of 6% of their weight within 3 months. 33% of subjects lost 10% or more after 6 months. Another study evaluated results in women who fell within the childbearing age and those who were planning to be pregnant, all of whom were obese. Approximately 1/3rd of patients lost a minimum of 5% of their body weight in 12 weeks. Other research studies have found WeightWatchers help reduce money spent on future healthcare costs and other forms of weight management, besides the fact that the program itself promises members to lose between half a pound to 2 pounds per week, depending on your plan.
Through all the fanfare for WeightWatchers, it’s key to remember that with any diet plan, comes its fair share of setbacks. WeightWatchers is notoriously expensive for its benefits, and as such, doesn’t necessarily guarantee a balanced and healthy diet within its results. The plan can even be very difficult and expensive to cancel, with members haplessly attempting to depart from the program noting that they were being met with great resistance. While WeightWatchers has also been around for over 60 years as an A rated business by the BBB, they have encountered various legal complaints and lawsuits, ranging from the mishandling of user data to customer grievances regarding pricing, payment and fees. Some notable positive notes, though, are the sheer number of individuals who have found long-term benefit by using WeightWatchers and the premise that the brand does not mislead people into thinking their coaches are doctors or dietitians, as many other diet fads do.
The premise of Noom is that the best diet isn’t even a diet at all, but rather a mindset. Noom is the psychology-based mobile app which dares to change people’s lifestyle through the use of daily behavioral changes over a long-term period. The brand started in 2008 as a modest fitness and calorie tracker. By 2016, it had blossomed into a fully comprehensive psychological and behavioral tool incorporating the use of support groups and personal coaches. Unlike other branded diets, Noom boasts an extensive team of health experts who carry expertise in oncology, diabetes management, hypertension and more to build blueprints for individuals that truly address the root causes of such weight loss issues. Noom focuses on rebuilding a person’s mindset and approach to losing fat and weight before addressing meals. This means, to lose weight, you must first examine eating behaviors, emotional ties to food, accountability factors and lifestyle changes to procure real weight loss results. The company’s philosophy eloquently phrases,” once you determine the things you’re ready to work on, your mindset will help you form new neural connections over time to change your habits.” Noom provides users with a one-week free trial, after which individualized subscriptions cost anywhere between $17 a month for a year to $70 a month, per month. Prices are quoted based on personal goals over how many pounds one can lose. Even so, the more months you sign up for, the deeper the discount.
The first step in incorporating Noom into your life is kickstarted with a quick, 10-minute online quiz that dives into your personal weight loss journey. The quiz asks questions regarding your weight, height, age, gender, and the reasons you strive to lose weight and lose fat. You may also answer questions about certain health risks you may have, or conditions you currently deal with. After committing to the program, you are prompted to pay the fee and download the Noom app. Note that some devices may not fully support Noom, such as tablets. After downloading the app, you will sign in with the email you used to join the program, and begin! The real process begins with 10 mini-lessons pertaining to the psychological and behavioral changes you will experience over the course of 16 weeks (although a 12 month plan can truly help bolster your long-term weight loss maintenance). You can spend as little as 5 minutes a day and up to 16 minutes a day on the lessons. Around two days in, you will be provided a goal coach who will provide personal assistance to you throughout your weight loss journey. They will check in twice a week and help you monitor your progress, alongside sending motivational messages! After a few more days, you are assigned a group coach who is paired to a peer group. The coach will moderate the chat, post tips and even respond to individual members’ posts. Both group and goal coaches are certified in 2,000 hours of wellness experience and hold either a bachelor’s or associate’s degree.
The personalized plan you develop and execute will assign you with a daily caloric budget and requires you to log your meals and daily physical activity as well. You may also delegate between 2-10 minutes a day in learning, by reading short articles on positive thinking, healthy eating habits and managing stress. Noom also provides you with a step counter onboard the app, which also encourages daily blood pressure and blood glucose readings. Noom is a food plan which doesn’t restrict members from consuming certain foods or beverages. The plan does have options for those who have self-imposed food restrictions (such as vegans) but no foods are off-limits. At Noom, the team believes that food weight, rather than calories, determines how satiated one feels. As such, they use a three-tiered color-coded system that prioritizes food based on caloric density (CD). Foods with lower CD tend to have more water, which results in you feeling fuller faster and ultimately eating less calories. Such an all-encompassing plan has yielded powerful results for scores of people worldwide, with participants feeling more confident about their weight loss journey while remaining guilt-free about their eating choices. Through accountability, based support systems and robust psychological reworking, Noom has found a way to revolutionize the idea of a balanced diet for over 40s while remaining realistic. However, Noom does come with its fair share of downsides; the program is quite expensive, more than what one may be willing to pay for a weight loss program. Subsequently, it’s also a huge commitment, and there aren’t any specific food/meal plans or prepared delivery options.
Slimming World is a popular diet trend which originated over 50 years ago in Great Britain. This style of dieting incorporates balanced eating with interspersed indulgences and cuts out caloric counting or restrictions, paving he way for healthy lifelong practices. Recently, Slimming World has become particularly famous in the United States, with several global studies claiming that it is an effective weight loss and behavioral tool, even with its share of downsides. The program implements a nonrestrictive healthy eating model paired with the elimination of shame or anxiety by means of Food Optimizing. This method largely promotes the inclusion of lean proteins, eggs, fish, fruits, starches and vegetables as the majority of the diet—known as “Free Foods”—in addition to dairy, nuts, seeds and whole grains—or “Healthy Extras”—and leaves enough room for treats, known as “Syns” (short for “synergy”) as just that—a treat! The website affirms that this balanced style of consumption kills cravings and helps you accomplish your fat loss goals by staying realistic and consistent. Slimming World also involves members with weekly guidance groups and both online/offline meetings, as well as great exercise routines to boot.
Slimming World comes in 3 varying membership tiers: Bronze, Silver or Gold. These plans range between $63-84 for 3 months and upon completion of the initial subscription period, increase to $26 a month thereafter. The Bronze package include a 3-month membership and 3 introductory guides. Silver contains all the aforementioned plus two Slimming World recipe books. Finally, the Gold plan includes everything in Bronze and Silver plus a 1-year subscription to the Slimming World magazine. All three plan tiers also include access to the app and other various tools within the suite of resources under the Slimming World umbrella. Note that members may discontinue their membership at any point in time and do not need to buy specific supplements or additives during the program.
As we dive deep into the physics of the Slimming World weight loss plan, we also discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the program—and how it compares to other diets. Many studies performed by industry experts such as Healthline procured pertinent information regarding Slimming World users and related variables. For instance, one study in 1.3 million UK adults who participated in weekly Slimming World in-person seminars found that those individuals who went to at least 75% of the sessions saw a 7.5% drop in their weight. Another study including 5,000 adults from as far back as 2012 found that those who successfully completed 20 out of 24 Slimming World sessions over 6 months lost an average of 19.6 pounds. It’s important to note that while these results were funded by Slimming World themselves, maintaining consistency and building a solid routine highly impact the efficacy of this slow metabolism solution.
Slimming World can help one develop longevity and practicality as far as diets go, though the increased consumption of fiber and general reduction of high-sugar foods. Over 80% of members recognized an overall improvement in their health and lifestyle, as cited by PubMed Central. This program can also help women with lowering obesity and cardiovascular disease risk, particularly as one enters their middle years. A 2019 study conducted by the brand and performed on 69 people with obesity and diabetes over the course of 12-24 weeks found a mean weight loss of 5.5% and average BMI decrease from 37.7 to 35.9. Slimming World is also quite accessible, as it offers both in-person and online support solutions. The app is relatively easy to navigate, and provides members with many useful tools and resources to supplement their weight loss journey! However, as with any of these diets, there are a few drawbacks to be weary of. The Slimming World program can be difficult to implement for those who are typically busy throughout the day, and can even present a learning curve for those women who don’t cook often. While the app hosts a suite of nutritious dishes, someone with limited cooking experience may struggle in preparing these recipes. A real time commitment, alongside factors such as portion control and ingredients can be challenging to overcome in a woman’s weight management journey.
One of the most popular weight management methods comes in the form of a dietary supplement known as Lipodrops! These fat loss drops adhere to many based scientific principles to ultimately decrease your appetite and alter the way your body metabolizes food. This provides women in their middle age, diabetes patients, and others, with the opportunity to see real belly fat reduction and weight loss results while working with your busy schedule!
The Lipodrops Max formula, for instance, changes the way your body processes food. It adjusts your body from storing food as fat, and rather utilize it in powering your body through your daily routine. Lipodrops Max can be used before each meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner) to engage your metabolic systems.
The Lipo-Nights formula acts as a slow metabolism solution by promoting a slow and even fat burn overnight as you sleep. It even includes melatonin to help you sleep well!
Finally, KetoMax, another brand of fat loss drops by Dr. Collier, yields the highest potency formula to aid the body in ketosis, ketosis being the metabolic state characterized by low-carb intake and elevated ketone levels in the body. This specific form of Lipodrops helps your system break down fats and bolster your metabolism by inducing a thermogenic-ketogenic state. It’s key to remember that while you rest, your body doesn’t manufacture the stress hormone known as cortisol, which increases the buildup of belly fat.
The Lipodrops brand also provides members with the Pinpoint Plan, which is a 6-week program that equips participants with the power of intermittent fasting and specific exercises with varying intensities to help you achieve your weight loss goals. If you find yourself in a caloric funk of sorts, or strive to hit target weight loss goals and live a healthier overall lifestyle, the Pinpoint Plan can provide you with the necessary resources to plan meals, brainstorm recipe ideas, set eating times and habits, and build a great exercise routine.
More Fat Burning-Related Content from Lipodrops:
► FAT BURNING AFTER 40: STRATEGIES TO BOOST METABOLISM AND STAY FIT IN YOUR PRIME
► WHAT IS INTERMITTENT FASTING AND HOW TO MAKE IT WORK
► HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT NATURALLY WITH LIPODROPS MAXIMUM FORMULA
► NEW NIGHTTIME FAT BURNER COMPATIBLE WITH DIABETES
*Subscribe to the YouTube Channel for Diabetes-Related Playlist ASK DR MJ – YOUTUBE CHANNEL
*Connect with dr. Collier on Facebook ASK DR MJ – FACEBOOK PAGE
*Over 35,000 Followers on Instagram, join us: ASK DR MJ – INSTAGRAM PROFILE
Another major diet trend takes the form of the Jenny Craig diet—an award-winning weight loss program which claims to have helped millions of people lose weight. Founded over 40 years ago in Australia, this complex plan intertwines meal preparation with personal coaching sessions to provide members with an arsenal of tools to execute and secure their weight loss goals. While Jenny Craig has often been touted as one of the most effective weight loss programs in the world—like any diet—efficacy may differ from person to person, and with these results, their fair share of pros and cons.
The Jenny Craig weight loss subscription model claims to help members lose up to one to two pounds a week, which is recommended by the CDC as the safest timeline to lose weight. It’s important to note that registered dietitians and nutritionists were involved in the inception and development of its calorically-reduced, portion-controlled approach to meals which allot between 1,200-1,500 calories for consumption per day. This submerges your body into a purposeful caloric deficit, thereby promoting fat burn and weight loss. Eating smaller portions is another major aspect of the program, and resides as a guiding principle of the Jenny Craig brand. Members may select one of three subscriptions tiers: Simple Meal Plan, which is $13.99 and includes 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches, Essential Meal Plan, which is $21.99 per day and provides you with 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners (plus free delivery) and the Max Up Weight Loss Meal Plan, which is $28.54 per day, and contains 7 breakfasts, lunches and dinners alongside 7 snacks, 7 desserts and 7 recharge bars per week. In addition, this top tier has a $0 membership for 12 weeks plus personal coaching sessions and exercise routines. Regardless of the plan chosen, the program advises users to perform daily weigh-ins either on your own or at weekly in-person sessions.
After selecting your plan, you receive your prepackaged foods and may begin the diet! Amongst other diets, Jenny Craig focuses on the consumption of six smaller meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as energy snacks and desserts. Additionally, it is suggested to incorporate fresh vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy in the diet plan. Certain meals may also need to be cooked by you too! Jenny Craig also highly recommends pairing intermittent fasting for a 14-hour window followed by a 10-hour eating window to maximize results. Note that shipping costs can vary largely depending on your geographic location, the tier of subscription you are purchasing, and whether your plan waives shipping fees or not.
The pros of Jenny Craig include the fact that, as a structured diet, it takes out much of the stress of meal planning and preparation. You are given a wide selection of foods to choose from, and with so many features within each of the three tiers as well as great tasting food (according to customer reviews) there’s reason to doubt this diet plan as one of the best. There are a number of cons to this diet, however. Jenny Craig can cost hundreds of dollars per month, and that too with personal coaching only offered to the highest tier of subscribers. Meals are also quite processed and contain large sodium levels, which can result in blood pressure issues. It has been noted that transitioning to regular meals after the diet presented a challenge for many members, and the program itself doesn’t accommodate specialty diets. Besides all these, the company also contributes to a large quantity of plastic and cardboard waste.
One popular diet which eliminates the hassle of cooking or preparing meals is the Optavia diet. This program encourages weight management by combining personal coaching, an assortment of simple, home cooked meals and low-calorie packaged foods to help you reach your weight loss goals. Optavia offers various plans to opt from (no pun intended) all of which utilize the Optavia Fuelings ingredient blend paired with homemade entrees, otherwise known as “Lean and Green meals.” The company also has provisions for prepared low carb meals dubbed “Flavors of Home” to replace the Lean and Green meals, if necessary. Optavia Fuelings refers to the sub-branded product line of high-protein, low-carb food options which also contain added probiotics to boost gut health. Over 60 Optavia Fuelings exist, divided into two categories: Essential Fuelings and Select Fuelings. These may include bars, shakes, cookies, puddings, cereals, soups and pastas. These specific meals incorporate sugar substitutes and whey protein powder amidst other alterations to optimize your weight loss journey and help you to lose fat!
Foods that are included in this program are those such as lean meats, seafood, eggs, soy products, vegetable oils, healthy fats, low-carb vegetables, sugar-free snacks and beverages, and condiments/seasonings. Those foods to avoid include fried foods, refined grains, certain types of fats and full-fat dairy, alcohol and sugary beverages. The Optavia diet has a suite of additional tools to balance your weight loss maintenance, such as by providing tips and inspiration through text message, community forums, support groups, one-on-one coaching calls and via the app (which has its own array of tracking tools to monitor your progress). It’s a plan that is likely to result in short-term weight loss and requires minimal food preparation, but at what cost? Let’s explore more below.
Optavia is designed to boost weight loss by sharply reducing caloric intake and high carb consumption. The program limits you to only consuming between 800 and 1,000 calories a day—a notably smaller range than that of most other popular diets. The research, while mixed, claims bigger weight loss results with full or partial meal replacements over old-school diets that restrict your caloric intake. One short 16-week study observed 65 people who followed through with the base level Optavia plan and discovered that they found drastically lower weight and fat levels over the control group in the study. PubMed Central even declares it to be less conducive to long-term weight loss to eat such a low quantity of calories as is in the Optavia diet as opposed to the 1,500 or more calories required daily by other diets. While Optavia promotes easy-to-follow instructions and preparation methods, offers continual support and coaching methods, and it may ping itself as a means to improving your blood pressure, once you take a closer look at some of the hidden fine lines, a lot more becomes evident. The severely low caloric intake amount can actually result in a metabolic reversal rather than helping you burn more fat. This can make it even more difficult to lose weight, and even lead to muscle loss. Not to mention the program can be quite costly, lead to weight regain and be incompatible with certain eating habits or patterns. Increased hunger cravings paired with such a high level of processed food options cement the drawbacks to this plan in stone.
This diet trend example could be more closely associated with the term “fad” than any of the aforementioned brands. The product in question tied to the Flat Tummy Co brand took the form of 35 calorie flavored cane sugar lollipops which were infused with a saffron extract. This combination allegedly curbed hunger, and the brand went so far as to sell “detox teas.” Many popular figures and celebrities called out the Kardashians and Jenners for being avid promoters of the Flat Tummy Co brand to their millions of fans and followers. Flat Tummy Co was slammed as a hoax and even petitioned against when they erected a massive billboard in Times Square in New York City to promote their flavored pops with a bold yet sexy hashtag ad. Over 100,000 people signed the online petition to have the billboard removed.
The Flat Tummy Co brand is ultimately a great example of what happens when unregulated social media marketing strategies repackage dubious science within feel good entrapments of a health-oriented brand and inevitably manipulate women’s insecurities into profits. Instagram, which also claims to be a haven for safety on the internet, became a pivotal factor when Flat Tummy Co was sold for $10M in 2015 and its “significant social media presence” was captured in a press release over real sales numbers and asset disclosures. “It’s not a positive message for women, is it? It’s pretty bad,” remarked one former Flat Tummy Co employee in an interview with the Guardian regarding appetite suppressants. The brand was essentially a farce—“ambassadors” from the company were hired to scout out influencers, pay them to promote and build an self-predictive algorithm which could determine a model’s sales potential. Models even had rating systems based on how “on brand” they were. Certain ethnicities were even subliminally favored, and bigger women were rated lower. It was the most reductive form of positive female self-image marketing that ever really existed. Ultimately, the entire brand was reduced to smoke and mirrors.
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